When one Jew sins, all Jews pay the price
If you are a Jew like me you will relate to this – whenever I see another Jew sin and fall from grace, especially very publicly, I feel deep personal shame. I just can’t help it – that’s how I was raised, that is to view all Jews as my own family members. So, when Bernie Madoff, a secular Jewish “financier”, defrauded many individuals [many Jews themselves] and even charities out of billions, he defrauded all Jews, even those who have never even heard of him. When Sholom Rubashkin, an ultra-Orthodox Jew and the former CEO of Agriprocessors, a now-bankrupt slaughterhouse and meat packing plant, was convicted of financial fraud, by his dishonest dealings he brought disrepute to devout and law abiding Hasidic Jews who had nothing to do with his sins and my own head hung low as well.
In Leviticus Rabbah 4:6 we read the following story that illustrates this point very well:
Some people were sitting in a ship, when one of them took a drill and began to bore a hole under his seat.
The other passengers protested to him, “What are you doing?”
He said to them, “What has this to do with you? Am I not boring the hole under my own seat?”
They retorted, “But the water will come in and drown us all.”
[Such is the fate of all the Jews; one sins and all suffer.]
Gene, though I’m not Jewish, I can relate. I feel this way as well when any man or women of God commits a grevious sin, whether they are a public figure or its someone I know personally. It’s similar to when someone does something really embarrassing and you feel the embarrassment along with them on a certain level.
As a non-Jew I can relate to this also Gene. Every time I come across anti-Semitism, Holocaust Denial, anti-Judaism, I inwardly cringe with shame. Much of my research as of late, dealing with Replacement Theology, Supersessionism, Two House Theology, and The (alleged) 10 Lost Tribes teaching, has brought me in constant contact with the anti-Semitic fruits the aforementioned teachings produce in so many people who accept and believe them to be true.
Just recently I made a comment on a YouTube video teaching on the 10 Lost Tribes theory. My comment was factual and very brief, basically all I said was, “These people who claim to be one of the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel, have been proven through scientific DNA research to belong to Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH) related to the tribe of Levi, which is not one of the Lost 10 Tribes. I am not even going to repeat here in your blog the anti-Semitic appellations and accusations I received from the poster of the video and other contributors to the comment section of the video. It was so bad I did not respond further to the thread lest I generate additional like-minded comments.
This particular sin I see growing at an astonishing rate on a global scale, falls mainly within the purview of Gentiles. Historically for the most part it has been maintained, nourished and propagated through the religion of Christianity. Thus as one who acknowledges Jesus as Messiah, and a Gentile. When I am exposed to anti-Semitism, with my inner knowledge of its religious connection and my own genealogy, the shame I feel is so consuming, I am impelled to do what I can do to make my brother give up his drill, and stop sinking this boat.
@Justin Bond
Justin, I get what you’re saying. I don’t wish to see anyone shamed either. On that other hand if a person is wicked and has done great harm being publicly shamed may leave them broken and perhaps push them toward repentance. Also, I suppose I expect better of Jews – we are suppose to be the “light to the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). When we sin, we dishonor and bring shame (chillul Hashem) to G-d himself. The same, of course, can be said of those who identify as Christians.
@Brad (pruninghook)
I think you’re doing a great service to both Jews and Gentiles. Very few people stand up to oppose antisemitism in all its diverse forms because those who do may very well make themselves a target. However, Gentiles must realize that antisemitism hurts them too.